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TECHNICALINSULATION
INSULATION
Indoor Thermal
Comfort in Buildings
Cool 'n' ComfortTM Solutions in Roofing Systems
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
3
Introduction
6
Performances of Insulation
in Roof Systems
10
Recommended Solutions
for Roof Systems
12
ROCKWOOL Solutions
with Cool ’n’ Comfort
15
Project References
Project
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Completed: 2010
Owner: Las Vegas Sands
Architect: Moshe Safdie
2
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Introduction
Energy Efficiency in Buildings In some developing countries, energy There are several ways to reduce thermal
Energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly efficiency is seen as the cheapest, cleanest transmission, such as:
important economic and social consideration. and safest way to contribute to reducing Insulating the building envelope
As the world’s energy resources become the country's carbon footprint. Limiting thermal bridges in the
increasingly limited, the need for energy construction
efficiency in the face of rising energy costs There are many ways to apply energy Controlling air tightness and air
becomes more significant. efficient measures in buildings. For example, exchange of the building envelope for
Diagram 1 explains the methods that can better thermal comfort
Energy efficiency simply means using less be used in order to achieve energy Improving thermal properties for
energy than previously used in order to efficiency in an air conditioned building. windows and doors
accomplish the same tasks, whether at Proper planning prior to construction,
home or the workplace. Using energy The pyramid in Diagram 1 shows that focusing taking into consideration design,
more efficiently may also result in paying on reducing thermal transmission will bring orientation, and energy management
lower energy bills, yet being able to get the biggest effect to the energy
the same amount of work done. consumption of the building. This, in
conjunction with other measures, can
significantly reduce overall energy
consumption.
Select
energy
source
Display &
control energy
consumption
Diagram 1: Passive Energy Design Process. Source from International Energy Agency
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Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
How can Roofs be more Sustainable? system, especially the insulation materials, Airport hangars
Regardless of building types, roof systems should be recyclable while at the same Manufacturing buildings
can function as a space that provides time be made from renewable raw Warehouses
essential insulation to prevent heat gain materials. Offices
into the building. Getting the design of the Long service life - far too often, building Sports facilities such as stadiums and
roof and the rest of the building envelope deterioration starts with a leaky roof that gymnasiums
right will give the greatest benefits in terms leads to marred interior surfaces, mold
of reduced energy use and greater growth, and structural damage. Roof Insulated metal deck roofs should
sustainability. systems and components should have a demonstrate the ability to withstand
long service life as designed by the exposure to large differences in
Roof systems can be made more architect. temperature on both the exterior and
sustainable by taking into account the interior skins. These types of roofs have
following aspects: To support these aspects, highly efficient become increasingly popular over the last
Durability – making the roof structure roof insulation is required to minimize few years because they offer building and
and its components more durable while building heating and cooling. Such homeowners benefits such as being
still performing to the intended criteria high-performance roofing systems may also inexpensive and fairly easy to install.
with regards to reducing heat gain and extend a building's service life. Profiled steel are commonly used in various
acoustic transmission as well as reducing types of metal deck roof constructions like
the need for frequent maintenance. Types of Metal Roof the below.
Long term reduction of heat gain - with Roof systems built from metal deck profiles
the use of dimensionally stable insulation are commonly insulated with mineral wool.
materials that are not affected by This includes various types of commercial,
changes in temperature or humidity industrial and institutional spaces where
Recyclability – materials used in the roof superior thermal comfort with relatively
lower costs are a concern, such as:
Single Skin Metal Deck Roof - Corrugated or profiled Double Skin Metal Deck Roof - Corrugated or profiled
metal sheet fixed directly to the purlins with or without top metal sheet fixed to the bottom corrugated metal
insulation material. sheet using a spacer system which is then fixed onto the
purlin. This roof construction typically uses mineral fiber
as insulation.
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Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Good
insulators
whether it be an iconic struture, a utilitarian
office or a comfortable home. Beyond that, Clay/Concrete 1.6-2.0
it also provides protection from bad Stainless steel 15
weather, notably rain, but also heat, wind
and sunlight, and ensures a conducive and Steel 50
comfortable environment for the building’s
insulators
Aluminium 160
occupants. Roof insulation is a key
Poor
Copper 386
component of the roof, as it improves the
performance of the roof system in terms of Table 1: Insulating properties of various roofing materials
thermal, acoustic and fire benefits, ensuring
that occupants are comfortable and safe.
5
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Performances of Insulation
in Roof Systems
Thermal Performance environment that will give better thermal The moisture content of the internal
Each type of roof system is particularly comfort. Proper design and construction is environment should be assessed and
affected by the different hours of air critical in ensuring lower energy consumption controlled by providing the correct levels
conditioning operating hours in the in buildings, at the same time providing a of ventilation or by air conditioning. It
space immediately below the roof. comfortable indoor climate. should be recognised that there will be
some degree of moisture load in almost
Imagine if you want to have a room Insulation is a long term investment and all buildings, therefore the design of the
temperature of 24°C, and your starting requires no further maintenance once the roof structure should:
(room) temperature is 30°C, your air insulation has been installed. The energy Prevent water vapour reaching the cold
conditioning units would have to lower savings generated during the lifetime of the areas of the roof structure, by including
the temperature by 6°C. If the starting building will more than cover the costs of an impermeable vapour control layer on
temperature of the room is 34°C, your investment. the warm side of the insulation; and
air conditioning units would need to Provide means of escape for any water
lower the temperature by 10°C. Therefore, Condensation Control vapour that does penetrate the structure.
you would have to spend much more Interstitial condensation can occur if water
on electricity and require even bigger vapour, from within the building, is able to To minimize the potential for interstitial
air conditioners just to reduce the heat penetrate through the metal decks and condensation in double metal skin
that penetrates into the building through reach cold areas outside the insulation, construction, the most critical part of the
the roof and outer walls. This is clearly where it may condense, usually on the construction is the vapour control layer.
illustrated in Diagram 2 and Diagram 3. outer metal sheet. If suf cient condensation This is used to minimize the amount of
occurs, it could cause problems such as moisture vapour which can enter the
For optimum performance, the roof system corrosion of metal components and wetting construction by diffusion and air leakage.
should be properly insulated and constructed of thermal insulation (severely impairing It must be positioned on the warm side
so that there are no significant thermal bridges performance), and the condensate could of the insulation. The vapour control layer
or gaps. This can be achieved by using run into the building ruining internal finishes can be made by carefully sealing the pro
thermal pads, proper sealant and gaskets or dripping onto equipment. Single skin led metal liner or by providing a separate
that are readily available. Attention should metal deck roofs where the insulation and membrane on the metal sheet. In either
also be given to joint details, connection of wire mesh is directly exposed to the hot or case it is essential that the vapour control
the construction and openings, in order to cold air on the underside of the roof, is layer is continuous throughout the roof and
limit air leakage from the building. This will particularly susceptible to condensation. all laps are sealed, including at abutments,
provide a controlled air exchange roof lights, penetrations, gutters, ridges
and other parts of the roof.
Diagram 2: Diagram 3:
Room without insulation requires 10°C cooling Room with Cool 'n' Comfort insulation requires 6°C cooling
6
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Acoustic Performance overlooked or is addressed too late in the often not enforced even when established
Noise is defined as unwanted sound and design process to be effective and as a guidelines exist.
it is therefore essential that the control of consequence the solution provided is
noise pollution is addressed from the seldom adequate. Metal deck roofs are typically formed by thin
earliest stage in the design process. sheets of rolled- steel cladding, these roofs
Excessive exposure to noise can cause The damping and absorption effect of often amplify rain impact noise. The acoustic
issues such as: noise from materials are illustrated in performance requirements of metal deck
Inability to concentrate and perform Diagram 4 and 5. roofs will be specifically influenced by the
basic activities building’s location together with its layout
Annoyance that triggers stress and A guitar is filled with sand for the purpose and overall design. Building design needs to
inability to focus of reducing the vibration that travels into provide for control and reduction of noise
Disruption of rest or sleep; signi cantly the sound box and the re ection that takes break-outs for building types such as
reducing the quality of life place in the sound box. This example hypermarkets, stadium, warehouses and
shows that sound can be reduced by other similar environments.
Ambient noise is the result of noises which damping the vibrations.
emanates from various sources. Continuous If the roof structure is required to perform as
or excessively loud ambient noise can have Putting the example into the context of a sound reduction from external sources,
a detrimental effect on a person’s quality building elements such as roof systems, then the mass of the structural deck and
of life, therefore, acoustic insulation is an especially lightweight metal deck roofs individual roof layers are of great importance
important consideration in buildings, which are popular in Asian countries, it is in determining the acoustic performance.
especially roof constructions. important to control and reduce vibrations
within the system itself so that a suitable, Lightweight metal decks incorporating
The external roof represents a large comfortable environment is preserved. single skin pro les can provide a good level
proportion of a building’s surface area, of sound reduction. They can be further
and therefore its acoustic performance The lightweight metal deck roofs provide enhanced through the use of additional
plays a significant role in establishing good value in durability, less maintenance insulation layers in combination with
an acceptable environment within the and aesthetic. Whilst being popular, there additional mass layers.
rooms below. Unfortunately, the acoustic are very few rules governing the acoustical
performance of a roof often gets performances of these roofs, and they are
Sound hole
Bridge plate
Bridge plate Sound box
Sound box Sand
Diagram 4: Diagram 5:
Sound box of a guitar showing how sound travels and Sound box filled with sand to dampen sound
gets reflected to create sound
7
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Rain Noise and Control Building Bulletin #93, London (2004), the
Metal deck roof systems are commonly level of noise produced by rain impact on Building designers’ objective is
used in commercial and industrial buildings, metal deck roofs can reach 70dB. Some to reduce the rain impact noise
educational institutions, stadiums and studies compared this noise to aircraft or on metal deck roof systems by
auditoriums because of the need for bigger trafic noise which is usually around 65dB. Putting in additional layers of dense
span of clear undisrupted spaces. Activities The noise and vibration are transmitted materials such as insulation
in these spaces are affected by the noise through the roof and radiated as structural
Adding board panels to the basic
generated by the intensity of the rain. air- borne noise into a building. As such,
metal roofing system to increase
Noise levels exceeding the recommended rain impact noise should not be
transmission loss properties
ambient noise can cause annoyance and underestimated nor neglected.
affect daily activities.
Typically, metal roof panels are made of One of the most cost-effective solution is to
either steel or aluminum. The thickness of apply sound dampening materials onto the
the panels varies from 0.46mm to 2.0mm. metal panels. Roof insulation such as stone
When it rains, the thin metal panels will wool absorbs the vibration energy and
resonate and generate a high level of therefore reduce the rain impact noise
noise. According to the publication of the thin metal panels.
Fire Protection prevent the spread of fire to However, in the event of a fire, it makes sense
The manner in which all elements of neighbouring properties to use construction materials and roofing
building construction perform in the event prevent an external fire from setting fire components that do not burn in
of a fire is of prime concern to the designer, to the building the first place. In a fire, heat and hot gasses
the occupant, the building owner and the provide access for the fire brigade travel upwards and to the ceiling boards.
building insurance company. Pro led metal Insulation below the roofing will usually be the
deck roof constructions must therefore Generally metal roof cladding has to limit first component of a building construction to
conform to specific requirements by the the spread of fire on its internal liner face, be exposed. If a combustible material is used,
local fire rescue department. The main prevent the spread of fire through any fire can quickly spread throughout the material
requirements are to: cavity, and resist the spread and and in minutes, the entire roofing system will
provide a safe means of escape for penetration of fire on its external facing collapse.
the building occupants by preventing side.
internal fire spread.
8
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Water Repellency
The sudden downpours that occurs in
tropical climates can become a major
problem if installation work is being carried
out on the roof of a building. Not only is
there a high chance that the materials used
will be damaged or wasted but the removal
and replacement cost in lost man hours
cannot be underestimated. The disruption
can also result in both lengthy delays to a
project as well increased in materials cost.
9
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Recommended Solutions
for Roof Systems
Airport Hypermarket
Type Double skin metal roof Type Single or Double skin metal roof
Maximum sound Level, LAeq 55 dBA Maximum sound Level, LAeq 55 dBA
Type Single or Double skin metal roof Type Single or Double skin metal roof
Maximum sound Level, LAeq 60 dBA Maximum sound Level, LAeq 55 dBA
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Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Type Single skin metal roof Type Single or Double skin metal roof
Maximum sound Level, LAeq 65 dBA Maximum sound Level, LAeq 70 dBA
Type Double skin metal roof Type Double skin metal roof
Maximum sound Level, LAeq 65 dBA Maximum sound Level, LAeq 40 dBA
Disclaimer: The number in the table are based on applicable standard and best practice.
11
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
ROCKWOOL Solutions
with Cool ’n’ Comfort
In order to meet the requirement of metal deck roof systems, Cool ’n’ Comfort RL series in rolled form as well as the
the insulation used must possess the following characteristics Cool ’n’ Comfort SL series in pre-formed slabs. In a nutshell,
to improve the performance and make the roofs more durable. the roof insulation Cool ’n’ Comfort RL and SL series are
ROCKWOOL Asia offers a new range of products using the equipped with the following attributes in Table 3.
Dimensional Stability Stability of R-value performance in different climates (temperature and humidity)
Uniformity of thickness Thickness are made strictly through internal control on thickness tolerances
Warping/cupping under field performance Long lasting with no deformation such as warping or sagging
Sustainability (manufacturing, field performance Products are tested and listed under the
and beyond) Singapore Green Building Product Listing scheme (SGBPLS)
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) available
In order to achieve the recommended acoustic performance of the The rain impact noise tests are in accordance with ISO140-18:2006
metal roof system based on its usages, following are some of the – ‘Laboratory Measurement of Sound Generated by Rainfall on
roof con gurations with their respective performances in sound Building Elements’ using ROCKWOOL Cool ’n’ Comfort series
attenuation which is expressed as Sound Transmission Class (STC) installed in roof construction combinations in single and double
as well as the rain impact noise that is expressed in A-weight skin metal deck roof systems. To re ect the climate in Asia, the rain
intensity, L subscript (IA). impact noise level were tested in the rainfall intensity of normal
rain at 40mm/hour and a tropical thunderstorm at the intensity of
300mm/hour.
12
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
The selection of system is important infinding the suitable system for the application. For further information, please get in touch with
your local ROCKWOOL representatives.
Rain Impact
Rainfall Intensity STC
Double sided Purlin Reinforcing (A-weighted Intensity), LIA
aluminium spaced at steel wire
foil 1200mm mesh
40mm/hour 50.6
centres
33
300mm/hour 57.4
System 2
Single skin metal deck roof using ROCKWOOL Cool ’n’ Comfort RL
Cool 'n' Comfort RL Metal roofing series at 100mm thick fixed underside of metal roofing sheet of
sheet TCT Vapour barrier
series at 100mm thick TCT 0.48mm, complete with vapour barrier of 1.5mm and double
0.48 mm at 1.5mm thick
sided aluminum foil, securely fixed onto roof purlins spaced at
1200mm centres.
Rain Impact
Rainfall Intensity STC
(A-weighted Intensity), LIA
Double sided Purlin Reinforcing
aluminium spaced at steel wire
40mm/hour 49.1
foil 1200mm mesh
centres
38
300mm/hour 55.6
System 3
Single skin metal deck roof using ROCKWOOL Cool ’n’ Comfort RL
series at 50mm thick fixed underside of metal roofing sheet of
TCT 0.48mm, complete with vapour barrier of 1.5mm and double
Metal roofing sided aluminum foil, securely fixed onto roof purlins spaced at
Cool 'n' Comfort RL
series at 100mm thick sheet TCT Vapour barrier 1200mm centres. One layer of 12mm cemboard securely fixed to
0.48 mm at 1.5mm thick
the underside of purlin.
Rain Impact
Rainfall Intensity STC
Purlin (A-weighted Intensity), LIA
Double sided spaced at Reinforcing
aluminium 1200mm steel wire
foil centres mesh 40mm/hour 37.9
49
Cemboard 300mm/hour 43.9
12mm thick
* Sizes and dimension of metal roofing sheet, vapour barrier and aluminium foil may vary according to different manufacturers.
* For variation on component dimension and spacing, kindly contact your local ROCKWOOL representatives for expected acoustic performances.
13
Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Rain Impact
Vapour barrier Rainfall Intensity STC
at 1.5mm thick (A-weighted Intensity), LIA
40mm/hour 58.6
30
300mm/hour 62.0
Roofing sheet at Cool 'n' Comfort SL G.I. Zed spacer spaced at System 2
0.48mm TCT series at 50mm thick 1200mm centres
Double skin metal deck roof with ROCKWOOL Cool ’n’ Comfort SL
series at 50mm thick fixed underside of metal roofing sheet of
TCT 0.48mm fixed onto zed-spacer spaced at 1200mm centres and
Roofing
sheet at
bottom roofing sheet at TCT 0.47mm complete with vapour barrier
0.47mm of 1.5mm, securely fixed onto roof purlins spaced at 1200mm
TCT
centres.
Vapour barrier
at 1.5mm thick Rain Impact
Rainfall Intensity STC
(A-weighted Intensity), LIA
40mm/hour 54.0
38
300mm/hour 57.8
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Indoor Thermal Comfort in Buildings
Project References
2 3
15
ROCKWOOL IN ASIA
www.rockwoolasia.com